You don't have to wait until December for your next holiday celebration.
Exotic and exciting festivals continue around the world throughout the year and Cox & Kings can put you right in the middle of the revelry. Party your way through Rio de Janeiro during Carnaval, master your elephant polo skills at the Jaipur Elephant Festival in India, or dance to the rhythms of traditional Ethiopian beats in one of the most diverse music festivals in Africa.
Samba Down the Streets of Rio de Janeiro at Carnaval
Follow the rhythms of Rio to the most popular holiday in Brazil with Cox & Kings’ Carnaval: Party like a Native journey. Held forty days before Easter each year, Carnaval is a spectacular event of massive proportions featuring heart- pounding beats, ornate costumes and celebrations that last through the night. Cox & Kings arranges for travelers to parade their way down to the Sambódromo with one of Rio’s most famous samba schools, then use their new moves to dance the night away at the black-tie Carnaval Ball at the iconic Copacabana Palace. Guests can recover from all of the merrymaking with a day on the famed Copacabana beach, or ride a cable car to the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain and board a train up the mountain of Corcovado to see the magnificent and legendary Christ the Redeemer statue, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.
Cox & Kings’ 6 day, 5 night Carnaval: Party Like a Native journey starts at US $15,985 per person, based on double occupancy.
Ride a Royal Elephant at the Jaipur Elephant Festival
Each March, the city of Jaipur transforms into a kaleidoscope of colors for the annual Elephant Festival. Guests of Cox & Kings' India’s Splendor journey can channel the magnificence of the royal India of the past while riding these stately animals and watching them compete in elephant polo matches and races. Held during Holi, the festival of colors, the Elephant Festival also features processions of the regal creatures adorned from tusk to tail with vibrant colors and glittering gold trinkets, as well as lively dancers performing traditional Indian folk dances. Guests are also invited to hop on one of the gigantic creatures to throw and be doused in a rainbow of Holi powders, signifying wishes of good health, wealth, love and happiness.
Cox & Kings' 16 day, 14 night India’s Splendor Luxury Group Journey starts at US $8,950 per person, based on double occupancy.
Experience the Passion of Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala
Semana Santa is celebrated throughout Latin America with elaborate festivals and colorful processions. Cox & Kings offers travelers a look into one of the most spectacular Semana Santa celebrations with their Guatemala & Honduras: Mayan Treasures private itinerary. Guatemala’s holy week celebrations begin on Ash Wednesday and reach their peak on Good Friday when the streets are full of processions consisting of massive andas (floats) bearing statues of Christ on the cross that are carried by hundreds of men in purple robes, followed by a float with the Virgin Mary. The streets are covered in ornate carpets of flowers, leaves and multicolored sawdust and as the processions move slowly along, the feet of the bearers are cushioned in the carpets which are spread throughout the streets as the procession passes over. Though holy week occurs around the world, Antigua's vibrant and passionate traditions illustrate to travelers the true essence of this revered celebration.
Cox & Kings' 14 day, 13 night Guatemala & Honduras: Mayan Treasures Private Journey starts at US $6,215 per person, based on double occupancy.
Drink tea with Mongolian Nomads at the Naadam Festival
Held each July, the Naadam Festival in Mongolia is one of the largest of the year and an amazing opportunity for travelers to experience traditional Mongolian culture. Locally referred to as "eriin gurvan naadam" or "the three games of men," the celebration begins with an elaborate opening ceremony featuring dancers, athletes, horse riders, and musicians. Travelers on Cox & Kings’ Land of Blue Sky Discovery Group Journeys in July can visit and share tea in the tents of the nomads who travel from the remote countryside and set up camp for the festival. Guests will also experience fascinating cultural performances including hoomi (throat singing) and enjoy a front-row seat at the exhilarating main events of Mongolian wrestling, archery and horse-racing.
The 13 day, 12 night Land of Blue Sky Discovery Group Journey begins at $2,995 per person, based on double occupancy. Festival journeys depart July 1 and July 10, 2011.
Sample the Diverse Flavors of the Seychelles at the Creole Festival
While the white sand beaches and inimitable blue waters of the Seychelles make it an ideal destination year round, guests who wish to delve into the true spirit of Seychellois culture must visit during the annual Creole Festival held each October. A celebration of the country's vibrant melting pot of diversity, the festival is an exciting manifestation of Seychellois and Creole identity through music, dance, cuisine and crafts, offering visitors a colorful week of the sounds, flavors and fragrances of these fascinating islands. Travelers can try their hand at the tantalizing sega, a traditional dance accompanied by guitars, drums and even synthesizers, and tempt their taste buds with a variety of traditional Seychellois foods including creamy curries, bright flavorful chutneys and fresh grilled fish. This colorful week of fragrant flavors and fun is celebrated on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue Islands.
This experience can be arranged as part of any of Cox & Kings’ Private Journeys to the Seychelles (such as Seychelles: Jewel of the Indian Ocean), beginning at $2,545 per person, based on double occupancy.
Expand Your Musical Horizons at 1,000 Stars Festival in Arba Minch, Ethiopia
Set in Arba Minch in the heart of the Rift Valley in Ethiopia every December, The Festival of 1,000 Stars is a spectacular experience for travelers with a passion for music. Guests can dance to the diverse beats of a more than 1,000 performers, representing over 56 ethnic tribal groups from southern Ethiopia. The three-day music festival is a relaxed, informal affair featuring dynamic songs and dances celebrating thediversity of these tribes. Cox & Kings can arrange a visit to this festival as part of the Omo Valley: Cultures of Southern Ethiopia private journey, giving travelers a front row seat to this unique, beautiful festival of music and tradition.
Cox & Kings' 11 day, 10 night Omo Valley: Cultures of Southern Ethiopia private journey starts at $4,235 per person, based on double occupancy.
